Festivals and Events

The Gros Islet Friday Night Street Party, known locally as the “Jump Up,” is Saint Lucia’s most famous and longest-running weekly celebration. For over 50 years, this fishing village has transformed every Friday night into a massive open-air party featuring booming sound systems, local street food, and a mix of residents and travelers

Renowned as the premier jazz festival in the Caribbean, the  Saint Lucia Jazz Festival & Arts Festival features the finest names in modern jazz performing in intimate venues and public settings throughout the island.

A variety of competitions including the ever-popular Power and Groovy Monarch, Senior and Junior Panoramas (Steel Pan Competitions), and the Inter-Commercial House Calypso completion, dozens of community events, and of course a continuous calendar of parties and fetes. The season culminates in an exciting, fun-filled two-day street parade of live bands and DJ music, stunning Carnival costumes and the joyous and energetic revelry typical of Caribbean carnivals. This is a very special celebration of Caribbean history, culture and creativity. Under the leadership of the Cultural Development Foundation and in collaboration with all stakeholders, Saint Lucia Carnival is recognized as one of the top Carnivals in the Caribbean and becomes a more vibrant and creative event each year.

This cultural event is one of the two Flower Festivals – “La Rose” and “La Marguerite” held annually in observance of Saint Lucia’s rich cultural memory, history and heritage. These two Flower festivals depict a historical rivalry among communities whose members sing the virtues of their flowers. “La Rose” members pledge their allegiance to the rose by dressing in red and creating flamboyant displays made of roses.

Saint Lucia is one of the most scenic islands in Caribbean with world-class dive sites and snorkeling just off shore. There is endless beauty beneath the surface with rainbow colour reefs and abundant marine life. In September, Saint Lucia will host the annual Dive Fest Saint Lucia highlighting the Saint Lucian Dive experience.

Saint Lucia’s Creole Heritage Month is a vibrant, month-long celebration every October honoring the island’s French Creole culture through music, dance, art, and cuisine, culminating in the big Jounen Kweyol (Creole Day) on the last Sunday of the month, a nationwide festival of cultural expression, food, and traditional dress. 

Many Saint Lucians observe the day as Fete La Marguerite. This is the second of the two flower festivals held annually. La Marguerite members dress in the colour purple and create displays of the Marguerite flower in addition to singing their traditional songs.

This annual transatlantic sailing competition for racer and cruiser yachts started since 1986. The ARC commences at the end of November in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and ends at the IGY Marina, Rodney Bay in Saint Lucia in early December. The ARC is the largest transoceanic sailing event in the world and regularly attracts over 200 yachts. A host of activities and cultural events are planned for the visiting yachtsmen taking place in the IGY Marina and in the town of Gros Islet.

The Festival of Light is celebrated on National Day, December 13th, the Feast of Saint Luce, Patron Saint of Light. The festival celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, good overcoming evil and the renewal of life. The celebrations start in the first week of December with a stunning Lantern Competition. They culminate on the eve of Saint Lucia Day, December 12th with the Parade of Lanterns in the streets of Castries, accompanied by a Christmas show and the illumination of the lights in the Derek Walcott Square in Central Castries, and finally a fireworks display.